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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) may once again be under threat, with Republicans reportedly eyeing the agency for elimination. This week, we discuss the broader ideological implications of the fight against the NEA and how the agency actually works with a meager budget to bring art across America—while also helping organizations raise the private dollars some think make the NEA superfluous. Later, we discuss the role arts funding plays in the broader economy and why the NEA could be more important to the art market than the Dow Jones.

Plus, an announcement: Next week, in lieu of our regularly scheduled programming, we’ll be broadcasting live from Brooklyn’s Wythe Hotel as part of work x work ON AIR—a pop-up, live-streaming radio lounge exploring creativity and storytelling. Tune in from 11 a.m. to noon on February 10th to hear the Artsy Podcast go live. We’ll discuss what it’s like to be an emerging artist today, then welcome a panel of special guests to break down the fashion industry’s plagiarism problem.

This podcast is hosted by Artsy Associate Editor Isaac Kaplan, joined for this edition by Deputy Editor Alexander Forbes and Art Market Editor Anna Louie Sussman. It was produced by Editorial Associate Abigail Cain.